Results for Spitfire Audio

Spitfire Audio has updated its Albion II – Loegria orchestral cinematic composing sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt to version 1.1.

We thank the VI community for their endless enthusiasm regarding this extraordinary set of tools and are proud to announce an update that offers some MAJOR new functionality to a module that is not even two months old!

We look forward to retroactively adding all this and much of Albion II’s feature-set and style-of-use back to the original volume of thundering cinematic delights in ALBION I soon. But for now, here’s the new stuff.

Changes in Albion II – Loegria v1.1

• Support in all patches for polyphonic legato sequencing using velocity splitting.
• Ability to move the articulation keyswitches around by dragging the slider underneath the articulation name.
• Time Machine patches for the shorts of every instrument in ‘_Time Machine patches_’ folder (user the ‘Time M’ slider in the UI).
• Extended legato range for Strings Hi Legato/Half Legato..
• String sustains and legato articulations have a stronger attack when using high velocity (in polylegato mode the Speed slider controls this)..
• OSTINATUM : ‘Enable keyswitch control’ allows you to toggle Ostinatum mode with configurable keyswitches.
• OSTINATUM : ‘Enable keyswitch soloing’ allows you to solo specific Ostinatum patterns via configurable keyswitches.
• OSTINATUM : ‘Mute this pattern’ available in pattern config to mute/unmute specific patterns..
• Major Sandbox Engine optimisations to improve performance on low end machines..
• Various minor bug fixes and tweaks.

The Kontakt Player powered Albion II library is available to purchase for £329 GBP ex. VAT. The version 1.1 update is free for Albion II users.

More information: Spitfire Audio / Albion II – Loegria

Spitfire Audio has announced the release of Percussion Redux, an updated version of the orchestral percussion sound library for Kontakt.

Spitfire Percussion is regarded by many reviewers to be the best collection of orchestral percussion yet recorded. Played by Joby Burgess through a series of exhaustive sessions in Air Studios, Spitfire Percussion is the definitive collection of Mallets (including a Marimba that Sound-On-Sound described as a “peach”,) Timpani, Bass Drums, Toms, Cymbals, Snares, Hi Perc, Lo Perc, Toys and Trash Metals.

Wanting this to be the only orchestral percussion you’d ever need buy, Spitfire purposely future proofed this heavily. With 3-way mic control, and up to 8 Round Robins & 8 Dynamic Layers per patch, it is almost as if only now has technology caught up and enabled us to truly get the best out of this library.

To celebrate this Spitfire have overhauled this product with a raft of new features – see our Youtube walkthroughs of the GUI and our walkthrough of the sounds.

New in Percussion Redux

• Unified look to bring it in line with other Spitfire releases. The same multimic with purging/levels as in Albion/Albion 2.
• All-in-one patches with all the articulations and playing styles of an instrument in a single keyswitch-able patch to optimise templates.
• Ability to latch articulations to CCs, pedals and custom keyswitches to suit individual workflow.
• Extensive purging options to optimise memory for your individual setups. Select how many RR and articulations are active and loaded into memory.
• Extended ‘Neighbouring zones’ RR for melodic percussion, potentially tripling the RR count
• Configurable release volumes, dynamics and expression from the front panel
• Customisable velocity mapping – map the dynamics to individual workstation setup.
• Improvements to instruments such as double handed timpani mapping, simulation of dampened bells/glocks/celeste/etc.
• Also includes the functionality added to Albion 2 (keyswitch locking, RR selection via keyswitch, Reset RR on transport, etc).

Spitfire Percussion is available to purchase for £349 GBP.

The upgrade is free for existing Percussion users. Spitfire will be giving away 25% off discount vouchers with every new purchase of Percussion made until 16th October, 2012 (Including those who purchased in September as a grace period).

More information: Spitfire Audio / Spitfire Percussion

Spitfire Audio has announced the release of its Albion II – Loegria, a one-stop orchestral cinematic composing tool in a box.

A year after the initial release of Albion Volume 1, we’re proud to announce the arrival of her younger brother Loegria. Concentrating on cinematic beauty and detail this is quite frankly the most sumptuous library we have ever made.

Some of the world’s finest players, playing the finest instruments, recorded at Air studios through the finest vintage valve and ribbon microphones to tape! This is quite simply audio custard.

Designed as a stand-alone “all you would need out of the box” Albion II contains content from entirely new sessions with a smaller and more delicious chamber sized string section and some esoteric brass and wind ensembles. The strings contain a greater variety of articulations than the original epic Albion, and is designed to perfectly compliment the first library with greater diversity but also detail and accuracy where needed.

This orchestral delight is complimented by a raft of exciting cinematic and media composition tools including Darwin Percussion II, Stephenson’s Steam Band II, Fenton’s Reversals and The Byron Tapes.

The Albion II library for Kontakt (Kontakt Player compatible) is available to purchase at the introductory price of £245 GBP until September 13th, 2012, and it comes with a 25% off voucher to spend on any other Spitfire products.

More information: Spitfire Audio / Albion II – Loegria

Spitfire Audio has released Iron Drum, a new Spitfire Laboratories sample library featuring the sound of a tuned soft metal instrument.

We are absolutely delighted to announce having passed the £10k milestone with our Unicef campaign and wish to heartily thank you for your contribution in that respect.We’re now the 4th biggest contributor to Unicef UK via PayPal, a remarkable achievement, long may this continue.

To mark this achievement we have purpose built a whole new little lovely just for you guys.

Recorded at Air-Edel studios specifically for the LABS, the Iron Drum is a heavy iron drum with 6 “resonators” that feel not unlike a chunky hand drum. It has a beautiful mellow tone that’s both familiar (like a nicely tuned steel drum) whilst being difficult to place exactly (or is it a vibraphone of some sort?). We have recorded it 4 ways, with a rubber beater muted and unmuted: 5 round robins, 2 dynamic layers, and with hand strikes both muted and unmuted again recorded with 5 round robins at a single soft dynamic layer.

The Iron Drum library is free, provided you donate £2 GBP to Unicef via the LABS.

Spitfire has also announced Albion II – Loegria, the upcoming scoring library which centers on cinematic beauty and detail.

Designed as a stand-alone tool, everything you would need to write beautiful and esoteric film scores out-of-the-box. We are excited to present an incredible Chamber sized String group of the first call session players in the UK, again designed as High and Low Ensembles.

At last this intimate sound is available with Spitfire’s mic mixing ability, and with strings that concentrate also on an array of additional techniques not found in Albion I, and woods and brass that centre more on “choral” use of such sections. Loegria is a must buy for Albion users wishing to expand on the possibilities of that broad & thumping tool-set, but also stands alone as a superb tool for creating intimate scores.

Release date and price TBA.

More information: Spitfire Audio

Spitfire Audio has released Orchestral Grand Piano, a piano sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt.

Orchestral Grand Piano is a super realistic “contextual” piano designed specifically to fit proudly within your full orchestral arrangements. Having recorded it in one of the greatest studios in the world we’re confident it will fit in with any palette. But if you’re an existing Spitfire user, this VI will seamlessly integrate.

Pianos tend to be recorded in a very scientific manner which is why, for larger orchestral mockups and realisations they can often be very difficult to blend in and mix. You will have no such problems here. We simply recorded the piano as we have the rest of our modules. In situ, a real-world setting with mics placed as they would be for any orchestral session. The end result a piano sounding as it would, where it would be and recorded as it would be for any of the great film scores to have been recorded in Air-Studios Lyndhurst Hall.

The Orchestral Grand Piano library for Kontakt (full version required) is available to purchase at the introductory price of £39 GBP.

Spitfire has also announced the upcoming Steven Devine’s Harpsichord sample library for Kontakt.

Soon to hit our shelves; Steven Devine graced us with the presence of his beautiful Harpsichord (the soundboard of which makes up this product’s artwork) enthusiasm, passion and detailed practical advise to complete our latest module which will be available for a limited period (until the 18th April 2012) at a once-off introductory price.

More information: Spitfire Audio

Spitfire Audio has updated its Albion sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt to version 2.0.

Made from a totally new set of samples recorded in May and June 2011 at Air-Studios Lyndhurst Hall, ALBION is the most exciting addition to Spitfire’s commercial range to date. A one-stop-shop of thundering orchestral delights….

Changes in Albion v2.0

• Script updates including:
  • Solo Mic option removed – CMD/CTRL clicking a mic position now solos that mic
  • Sample start offset option functionality for all short patches
  • Load/Save ability added to ostinatum
  • Transpose typo on the main panel fixed
  • Transpose offset of blue keys is now shown in the Kontakt visual keyboard
  • RR reset now overlays the blue notes and is always visible
  • RR reset no longer affects sustain/legato patches
  • Ostinatum remembers the articulation type keyswitch
• Patch re-edits
  • V1V2 and VC Ostinatum patches rebuilt for tightness and more consistent sound
  • Brass Hi Longs rebuilt for tighter tuning
  • Brass Hi Shorts rebuilt for tighter tuning and timing
• Various bug fixes.

Spitfire Audio has also announced the first upgrade pack for Albion which will be made available to download in approximately 2 months time. Albion V3 will feature not only improved functionality but also a raft of totally new content. Including:

• Albion Orchestra: All new “Mid Brass” featuring a fantastic French Horn and Trombone section.
• Mixed Ensembles: Devoted patches to reduce crossover voicing spikes in the previously released ensemble Multis.
• Darwin Cymbals: The most monstrous collection of surround cymbal ensembles you’ve ever heard.
• Brunel Loops: 10 All new loops/ instruments including Hamster Cage and Traffic Cone.
• Stephenson’s Steam Band: Reverses and Transitions.

Albion 2 for Kontakt is available to purchase for £349 GBP. The new content and added functionality in version 3 will be available to Albion users at no cost.

More information: Spitfire Audio / Albion